How to avoid making yourself a crime target with your social media posts

Social media can increasingly tell potential burglars information that will make their job much easier.

The culture of posting expensive new purchases, giving out your address and even when you are out of the country and for how long can create an enticing picture for would be burglars. Here are 10 steps you can take to protect yourself and your home during the summer period.

1) Consider taking a vacation from social media while you are on holiday or away for the day. Avoid announcements that you are going to be in another country for the next few weeks and do not check-in on social media at the airport.

2) Share vacation photos after the holiday. The photo could make clear that you are not at home even if you haven’t said where you are.

3) Consider sharing information with friends and not the entire public. At least in the weeks leading to a trip and during it.

4) Do not make details such as address, place of work or previous school public.

5) Put lights on timers during the evenings to give the impression there is someone there. Additionally outside sensors in the garden may deter potential intruders or burglars. In the absence of light, a timer on a TV or Radio could be an effective alternative.

6) Have a relative or a friend collect your mail so there is no build up of evidence to suggest you aren’t home. Don’t leave notes for delivery people suggesting you aren’t in.

7) Consider securing a visible security alarm. When asked burglars suggest the presence of a security system is the biggest deterrent to a potential burglar.

8) Keep any doors or windows, particularly on the ground floor, shut when you are not there. Remember insurance companies will often not pay out if a burglary occurs as a result of an insecure door or window.

9) Don’t forget to secure your garage or shed and if you have any power tools or gardening tools register them for free at http://www.immobilise.com/.

10) If you are going to be away for a period longer than a week it is worth informing the police of the duration of your trip. It may encourage them to actively drive by your home while they are on patrols.